Answer to Question 1
Almost all young people with depression experience negative self-esteem. In fact, low self-esteem is the symptom that seems most specifically related to depression in adolescents (Lewinsohn et al., 1997). Self-esteem in children with depression is also highly reactive to daily life events, and such daily fluctuations in self-esteem appear to be related to depression following exposure to major life stresses (Roberts & Gotlib, 1997). Thus, both low self-esteem and unstable self-esteem seem to play an important role in depression.
Answer to Question 2
Many children with depression experience biases, deficits, and distortions in their thinking (Lakdawalla, Hankin, & Mermelstein, 2007). These children commonly notice depression-relevant cues such as sad facial expressions more often than positive cues such as happy facial expressions (Ehrmantrout et al., 2011; Hankin et al., 2010). Given the importance of accurately reading emotional cues for successful social relationships, these selective attentional biases can contribute to adverse relationships with family members and peers.